The Pleo Diaries: Baby Nathaniel goes to the dogs

Was Baby Nathaniel indeed a pet for a pet? So far he had frustrated me, intrigued children, baffled parents, irked talk show hosts and been regarded skeptically by dinner guests. How would he fare with a dog?

As scheduled, our neighbor and his adorable (and very large) mutt Walt arrived that evening in time to watch the sun set behind the Catskill Mountains. It was a beautiful summer night filled with laughter, locally grown fruits and veggies and some healthy political debate. After we had all polished off our to-die-for blueberry and peach cobbler (and I had downed another glass of Bordeaux) I decided it was high time that we broke Baby Nathaniel out of his box.

A little nibble.

Walt who had previously been sprawled out under the table immediately perked up. I clicked the on button and waited. Walt was on his feet, simultaneously repelled and attracted by our baby dino. You could tell he was confused. What was this thing? And why was it so loud??? He sniffed, licked, nibbled and barked at Nathaniel, but when it failed to elicit a direct response, Walt’s interest visibly waned.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it was the introduction of food (even if it was fake food) that really grabbed Walt’s attention. When I tried to feed Nathaniel his leaf, Walt made it clear that whatever that green thing was getting he wasn’t about to be left out. Before we knew it, a game of dino-dog tug-o-war had begun.

Dino-dog tug-o-war.

We watched for a while, thoroughly amused by this unforeseen possibility. But secretly I wondered how long it would take Walt to rip Nathaniel to pieces. (I recalled the look of helplessness in the dino’s eyes after being reduced to roadkill on a recent Letterman show.) I imagined Walt picking Nathaniel up by the scruff of his neck when no one was looking and taking him outside to chew on his tail.

But as soon as the leaf was put away, Walt got bored. And when that happened, so did the rest of us. I put Nathaniel to sleep safely behind the hydrangea arrangement while Walt happily curled up under the table, once again secure in his status as “top dog.”

“The Pleo Diaries” is a new Tails of the City series. Look for the final installment next Thursday.